The prestigious St. Andrew's School in Boca Raton is facing a defamation lawsuit from a former headmaster who claims school statements led people to believe his resignation was tied to a sexual abuse scandal.

Peter Benedict claims the boarding and day school and its former chairwoman, Mary Jo Finocchiaro, accused him of protecting a pedophile and helping steal $12 million from the school before his April 2016 resignation. The accusations were printed in the Palm Beach Post, the Sun Sentinel and other news media, according to the lawsuit filed Friday in Palm Beach Circuit Court.

Since then, Benedict has been unable to work in education or even volunteer at his local Boys & Girls Club, according to his lawyers, Gregory Weiss and Alan Rose of Mrachek, Fitzgerald, Rose, Konopka, Thomas & Weiss in West Palm Beach. Benedict's resignation agreement included a promise from the school that it would provide him with a recommendation letter, but he still doesn't have one, the lawsuit claims.